Improvement in trunks



i UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE. g

EDWARD A. G. ROULSTONE, VOF BOSTON, MASSACHUSET'IS.`

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUNKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,492, dated June 27,1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. G. RoUL- STONE, of Boston, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trunks, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this spec--iication, in which- Figure l is a front view of the trunk., Fig. 2 isan end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a crosssection through the line o: x.Fig. 4 is a front view of the' trunk with the door open and a drawer anddangers incident to lids or tops as at present constructed. Second, inso constructing the door of the trunk that it shall at all times besecure from damage by rough handling. Third, in the economical andconvenient arrangement of the interior of the trunk in view of myimproved method of opening a trunk in front.

To enable others skilled in the art to use and understand my invention,I will proceed to state the manner in which I have carried it out.

Fig. l presents a front view of my improved I trunk with the doorclosed. When this door is opened it is turned down-on its hinges, asshown in Figs. t and 5. When closed the door fits into the front of thetrunk and between the ends of the same, so that its surface shall beflush with thegupper'and lower portions of the front, and,

consequently, be secure from damage. The upper and lower portions of thefront of the trunkthat is, the portions of the front above and below thedoor-being made secure to the ends and to the top and bottom ofthetrunk, and these, in turn, being made .rigidly secure to the back, it isevident that "the lock-and the hinges of the door, as well as the dooritself, are all protected against damage from falling, jamming, orcareless handling, which is not the case with trunks as now constructedwith the upper portion opening on hinges attached to the back. By mymethod of Y exception of the door in front-there is no danger to eitherhinges or locks from thefalling or rough handling of baggage. As afurther 'security to the trunk-frame constructed as described, I securethe corners and edges by means of the clamps a. a, the portions aextending beyond the front edges of the trunk so as to affordampleprotection to the door B. These clamps, as shovm in Figs. l and 2, maybe made of metal or other suitable material, and may be each in onepiece or in several pieces without departing from the spirit of myinvention. The top of the trunk is arched, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,for a purpose drawer is of the peculiar shape shown in Fig. 5, u and mayhave one or more smaller drawers, G, Y

sliding from its front, which can be opened with.- out removing thedrawer D from its position in the trunk. (See Fig. 3.) After the draweror tray D has been taken out for packing or unpacking, the cord E,similar to the cord F, is exposed to view. (See Fig. 6.) By pulling thecord Ey the spring-catches e e are withdrawn from the holes e e and theupper drawer or tray G is caused to tilt downward in front and slideoutward on the incline G and lever or arm c', as shown in Fig. 5. Thearm c turns u pon the pin c and allows its front end to pass int'o anotch formed in O as the upper drawer or tray slides out of the top ofthe Y trunk. In this same position the arm c catches the drawer C as itis pushed back into the trunk, and the rear part of the drawer being,from its peculiar shape, heavier than the ont, it drops down upon thearm c', as shown in Fig. 3, while the front passes up into the top ofthe trunk, where it is secured and held by the spring-catches e e. Thelower division H of the interior of the trunk is left clear for packing,and is covered with a board, m, Fig. 3, secured by a button orconvenient device.

' e and f f, al1 arranged and vconnbined substan- Having thus describedmy invention, what I clailn as new, and desirerto secure by LettersPatent, is

1. The trunk A, when constructed as described, and secured at the edgesand upper corners by the clamps a a and ab a', as shown in Figs. l and2, the clamps ci a. extending in front sufciently to aiord protection tothe door B.

2. The trunk A, when constructed as described, and having tted within itthe till or tray C api drawer or drawers D with their spring-catches etially as and for the purpose set forth.Y

I. M. SMITH."

